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Novel Catalog
Chapter_65
The gentle sound of the bubbling hot springs filled the air, and the soft, fragrant steam enveloped them as Ludwik led Whitney into the secluded garden. The night was still, the only light coming from the lanterns hanging on the stone walls, casting soft shadows around them.
Whitney felt a mix of emotions—confusion, frustration, but also an undeniable attraction that she couldn’t fully suppress. Everything had been so chaotic: the misunderstanding with Elaine, the tension with Ludwik, and now this quiet, intimate moment between them. She couldn’t deny that her feelings for him were growing, despite everything.
Ludwik stopped near the edge of one of the pools, his gaze lingering on Whitney with an unreadable expression. “You’re quiet,” he said softly, his tone teasing yet laced with a hint of concern. “Still angry?”
Whitney crossed her arms, glancing away, her mind racing. “I’m not angry,” she muttered, though she knew her words didn’t match the turmoil she felt inside. “I just don’t get it. All the games, the secrets… Why keep everything so complicated?”
Ludwik’s eyes softened, and he stepped closer to her, the heat from the spring radiating around them. “It’s not meant to be complicated,” he said, his voice low, almost soothing. “But sometimes we need to stir things up to get clarity. You think you can just ignore what you’re feeling, but it doesn’t work that way, Whitney.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she couldn’t help but look at him. The sincerity in his eyes caught her off guard. She wanted to protest, to say that she wasn’t ready to admit how she felt, that this whole situation was just too messy—but something about the way he was looking at her made her hesitate.
“Why are you doing this to me?” she asked quietly, almost as if she were asking herself. “Why drag me into your games, your drama?”
Ludwik reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face, his fingers lingering on her skin. “Because I want you to stop running, Whitney,” he said, his voice soft but firm. “I want you to admit that you care, that you’re not as immune to this as you think.”
She felt her pulse quicken at the intimacy of his touch, the warmth of his presence. She was so close to him now, their breath mingling in the cool night air, and for a moment, everything else faded away.
“I… I don’t know if I can,” she whispered, her voice wavering with uncertainty. “It’s all too much, and I don’t even know what I’m supposed to feel.”
Ludwik smiled, his thumb gently tracing the curve of her jaw. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now. Just know that I’m not going anywhere, Whitney. You don’t have to face this alone.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke, the only sound the gentle bubbling of the hot spring. Whitney’s heart was racing, and she could feel the walls she had carefully built around herself starting to crumble, piece by piece. She was scared—scared of what might happen if she let go, if she let herself feel too much for him. But at the same time, she couldn’t ignore the undeniable pull between them, the connection that had been there from the very beginning.
As if sensing her internal struggle, Ludwik took a step back, giving her space. “No pressure,” he said with a soft chuckle. “But when you’re ready, I’ll be here.”
Whitney nodded, though she didn’t trust her own words. The complexity of the situation, the lies, and the doubts still lingered, but for the first time, she felt like maybe—just maybe—she was ready to face whatever came next with him.
